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VOLUNTEER FOR OUR:
RAPID
RESPONSE ANIMAL ABUSE TEAM
HSL would like you to participate in our RAPID RESPONSE
ANIMAL ABUSE TEAM, which will help us investigate and
solve crimes against animals. By developing a database
of concerned citizens who will help us fight and solve these
crimes, we will be able to deploy trained volunteers to
investigate crimes against animals and use the resources of
people from around the country to help us improve our investigative
capabilities. HSL is calling this list of volunteers and concerned
citizens our Rapid Response Animal Abuse Team. See the
article below for details on the EDGARD
5 and how the Rapid Response Animal Abuse Team began.
Complete the form below to join the Team:
THE EDGARD 5
All of us care about the suffering of animals, and all of
us sometimes feel powerless to act against the abuse that
we see or hear about. At times, I share those same feelings
of frustration, and I work full time for a humane organization.
As the only full-time investigator for The Humane Society
of Louisiana, I receive reports of abuse and neglect sometimes
on an hourly basis from all over Louisiana. Working with a
very small group (fewer than 8 full-time workers) with very
limited resources, I tried to imagine creating a different
approach to responding to these endless reports of abuse.
The recent report of a nursing mother dog being fatally shot
on a side road of the rural community, Edgard, Louisiana,
gave me a new perspective. The carcass of the mother dog was
found by a neighbor, who also discovered 4 now orphaned puppies.
The local animal control department answered the call for
assistance on a Sunday afternoon, and the puppies were taken
to a veterinarian's office, where they are thriving.
Typically, these types of calls would be filed away and left
to collect dust. No one witnessed the shooting, and the community,
like many in Louisiana, simply wasn't going to do much else
about this problem. Our humane society received the report
a few days after the shooting, and we decided that we would
use this tragedy to create something positive and, hopefully,
lasting. We decided that we would use the energy of caring
individuals like you and go on site to this crime scene and
try to either solve the crime itself and/or give it the attention
it deserves. We decided that we would ask people from around
the state and nation to help us respond to these calls and
that we would call this new group of concerned individuals
our Rapid Response Animal Abuse Team. The purpose of this
program is to conduct these types of investigations on a wider
scale -- through the dynamics of the Internet and by channeling
new resources to our investigations.
Update on The Edgard 5
To give an identity to the victims of this senseless crime,
we have called the mother dog and her wonderful puppies The
Edgard 5. On Sunday, we traveled with a team of 7 volunteers
to Edgard, Louisiana, and we canvassed the neighborhood. We
spoke to about 2 dozen residents, handed out flyers, told
household members what happened and explained that a reward
fund had been established. We even visited the site where
the mother dog was found, and we placed flowers on the ground
in her memory. We also identified the complainant and thanked
her for calling the authorities. We accomplished a lot in
a short period of time. Imagine, however, what 20 volunteers
could have accomplished. Imagine if we had a reward of several
thousands of dollars, instead of $500. Imagine if CNN sent
a crew to go with us. Finally, imagine if someone came forward
with incriminating evidence and an individual was arrested
and charged for committing this crime. With your help, we
can do exactly what we imagined.
The Next Steps
We plan to forward our report to the Investigations Department
of the St. John Parish Sheriff's Office, and we will send
updates on this case to news outlets around the state. Next
week, we will focus on the actions of a New Orleans Municipal
judge who found a horse owner guilty of cruelty yet awarded
him custody of the horses! We plan to file a complaint for
his conduct and rulings with the judiciary disciplinary board.
This week, we also met with the Parish President of Tangipahoa
Parish, Mr. Gordon Burgess, to discuss issues and concerns
we have identified at the Tangipahoa shelter. He and his staff
promised to address our concerns. Members of our group also
visited the Tangipahoa Animal Control Shelter, and the 2 agencies
pledged to work more closely together on cruelty investigations.
Next week, we will also discuss the case of a cat being shot
in the head on a rural road in Tangipahoa Parish allegedly
by a juvenile, who was seen carrying a rifle in the vicinity.
The youngster has yet to be interviewed by authorities, even
though the humane investigator for our Tangipahoa Chapter,
Mr. Randy Stegall, identified the boy's residence and is the
primary witness to this crime. However, after we pushed the
issue, a detective was assigned to the case, and she will
conduct the initial interview with juvenile authorities.
How You Can Help
If you haven't already, please register to join our Rapid
Response Animal Abuse Team. When you register, you will
receive regular updates of our cases and campaigns around
the state.
Other Action Steps You Can Take Today
Send in a donation to our Reward Fund and/or our Cruelty
Investigations Fund - donations to this fund will allow us
to purchase surveillance equipment and new supplies. Our mailing
address is P.O. Box 740321, New Orleans, La 70174
Purchase an "Edgard 5" t-shirt
and wear in solidarity with our other team members.
Send $20.00 to HSL, Edgard 5, P.O. Box 740321, New Orleans,
LA 70714. Shirts come in small, medium, large, or x-large
sizes. Please designate the size and quantity.
Make a donation through our Paypal account or purchase
one of our Fleur de lis "Paws for a Moment" pendants.
Send us a gift card for Wal-mart,
Home Depot, or Petco. Donations will be used to offset our
operational expenses at our facility in Tylertown, Mississippi.
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